Susan Sarandon on acting career: 'I was told never have kids'

Sarandon also candidly spoke about how she has managed to keep working. Picture: AP

Susan Sarandon was told not to get pregnant as it would make her look "less sexy".

The 71-year-old actress has starred in a number of critically acclaimed movies including Thelma And Louise and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, but when she started out on her acting career back in the 1970s, she was told never to have a baby.

In an interview with The i Paper, Susan said: "I was told you were done by the time you're 40 and you definitely shouldn't talk about having children, because that made you less sexy."

Despite going ahead and having three children - two sons, Jack, 28, and Miles, 25, with Tim Robbins and one daughter, Ava, 32, with her ex-husband Franco Amurri - the actress is an Academy Award winner and a multiple nominee.

Sarandon also candidly spoke about how she has managed to keep working and said it was due to the fact that she is cast in character roles but claimed it was because she thinks she is the "most beautiful".

"If you're smart, you're not very feminine. I don't think I was ever the most beautiful, so I got character parts, which allowed me to survive."

Last year, Hollywood was shaken up after numerous movie stars and moguls - including Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey - were accused and admitted to sexual misconduct allegations.

This caused two campaigns to be started by women and men in the industry but Susan said the Time's Up movement affects all women and isn't just about violence.

She said: "Time's Up is not only about violence against women. It's also about listening to all women in all kinds of jobs: our sisters who are waitresses and cleaning apartments and taking care of our children, in all areas where an imbalance of power has led to vulnerability, where women are physically threatened.